Evangelism As A Lifestyle Series

Jesus crossed social barriers.

Two odd things in the woman’s behavior: First, there was a closer well to which she could have gone. Secondly, women would come to get water early or late when it was cooler. This woman was probably forced to go further and to go at mid-day to avoid contact with the “proper” women.

Think about her situation. Women had no power. She hadn’t divorced one husband after another and moved from one to the next and the next and the next. She didn’t move from man to man. She was discarded by one after another. Now, she’s living with someone. He’s not her husband. And that’s not necessarily because she had no standards, but because no one cared about her. With her reputation, no respectable Jewish man would talk to her. No rabbi would ever engage a woman in spiritual conversation publicly. One rabbi is quoted as having written, “Better to burn the Law than give it to a woman“.

Jesus ignored social and gender barriers because all that was meaningless compared to God’s value of this woman. Her spiritual needs matter far more than her state. How often do we quickly pre-judge people and peg their value before we will consider interacting with them, especially about our message of Christ and their eternity?

Jesus also crossed religious barriers.

The disciples were raised in a culture greatly different than the Samaritan culture. They will be shocked out of their minds to return from their shopping trip and find Jesus conversing with a woman of the Samaritans.

Everything He’s about conflicts with learned, practiced religious, cultural behavior. If you follow Jesus into personal evangelism, He will likely bring you into conflict with evangelical culture.

But He’s not concerned about the disciples’ opinions of His actions. He’s consumed and compassionate about self-destructing people. He forces His followers -- and us -- to take a hard look at our cultural attitudes, especially self-righteous ones. He connected by crossing barriers to put Himself in contact with the woman.

He also connects by using human need to teach spiritual truth. Verse 7 -- she comes to draw water; Jesus says, “Will you give me a drink?” She’s aghast. Verse 9 wait just a minute-- You’re a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?

Then He stirs her interest with an incredible offer -- verse 10: If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. As He so often does Jesus uses what’s at hand to present Truth. Here’s a thirsty woman coming for water, and He says those amazing words, If you only knew God’s gift and Who’s talking to you, you’d be asking to have your deepest thirst quenched permanently.

He describes living water and she misses His meaning. He’s turned to the spiritual -- she’s still fixated on the physical. Even by verse 15 she’s still thinking it would be nice not to have to come out to draw water all the time. But she needs the Source of living water to satisfy the deeper ache in her soul. She’s been trying to get it satisfied in all the wrong places. She’s been looking for a relationship with a man that will fulfill her life. Jesus knows that, and he also knows it isn’t working.